About A&P

About Angelica & Peony

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Life is a spiraling, ever-changing completeness. Disease and injury are doorways of transformation. Each one of us is inherently whole, yet seeking greater wholeness; perfect, yet desiring greater perfection. Whole/healthy/holy. Substance, thought, feeling, and spirit inseparable, intertwined. 

Welcome friend! I'm Kirsten Cowan, L.Ac, MATCM, and creator of Angelica & Peony. I've trained as a physician of Traditional Chinese Medicine with an emphasis on herbal medicine and women's health, at Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in LA.

Angelica and peony are beautiful flowers, but they are also powerful medicinal herbs. Dang gui (angelica root) and bai shao (peony root) are the quintessential healing women's herbs in traditional Chinese medicine, and formed the basis of my first healing oils.

I started making facial serums a few years ago, when I couldn't find a simple moisturizer I liked - they were either full of chemicals, or they smelled rancid. By using superbly high quality oils, I developed a skin care product that my face loved, and I began to share it with friends and family who asked about the delicious smelling bottles in my bathroom. Eventually I modified the basic formula to create specialized serums for mature, combination, and inflamed and sensitive skin, as well as a blend for the bearded!

At the same time, I was using more essential oils in my work with patients, and sought out high quality carrier oils with synchronistic properties. Inspired by Ayurvedic techniques, I began infusing Chinese herbs like dang gui and bai shao into oils, and blending them with essential and medicinal oils, developing myhealing massage oils and topical treatments.

Angelica & Peony is my labour of love - and that love is shared with you! Please let me know if you have any questions about what I make and how I make it, if you're interested in a custom blend or product, and what you think of products you've tried.